Competency Characteristics of Management Positions in Foreign Trade Under the Digital Economy: Based on a Survey of Manufacturing Enterprises in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

This research was to explore the digital literacy, leadership competence, and professional quality possessed and expected to be possessed by management personnel in the manufacturing enterprises carrying out foreign trade in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) of Guangdong province, China. A literature review was conducted to review the definition, concepts and related empirical research of digital literacy, leadership competence and professional quality. A set of interview questions were designed based on the literature review, and interviews were conducted involving 10 management personnel of the manufacturing enterprises in the GBA with foreign trade businesses. The findings showed that the interviewees held themselves possessed basically satisfying digital literacy, leadership competence, and professional quality. However, all of them held that they needed to further enhance their competence characteristics in these aspects. Two conceptual models were designed to illustrate interviewees’ existing competence characteristics, as well as the gaps between existing and expected capabilities.